Sawi, the first person to break 2 in the marathon, visited Peking University and sent a message to young runners to maintain love, patience and self-discipline

China News Service, Beijing, October 17 (Reporter Guo Xuan) Sebastian Savi, a 31-year-old Kenyan athlete and the first person to break 2 in the marathon, recently embarked on his first trip to China. He walked into Peking University on the 16th and gave a world-class running "master class" to Peking University students and marathon runners, and gave a message to young runners in their early stages: "Keep your love, patience and self-discipline."

The marathon is 42.195 kilometers long. For most runners, finishing the marathon within two hours has long been regarded as an insurmountable "natural chasm". Some exercise physiologists once asserted that in formal competitions without outside unnatural assistance, humans will have to wait until 2075 or even longer if they want to "break 2".

On April 26 this year, Savvy won the London Marathon with a time of 1 hour, 59 minutes and 30 seconds, improving the men's marathon world record by 65 seconds and becoming the first athlete to break the two-hour mark in an official marathon.

As the first person to rewrite history, Savi had a face-to-face communication with classmates from the Peking University Running Association that day. When asked how he stays focused during training day after day, Savi said: "As long as I am ready to complete it, I will stay focused. I will continue to give my best to reach the top and be the best."

"You don't have to rush to make a detailed exercise plan in the beginning. What's more needed is perseverance, tenacity, patience, self-discipline, and enthusiasm for running." Savi shared advice to young runners. "I hope you will do it step by step. Don't put your body under too much pressure at the beginning, and let your body slowly adapt to the rhythm of running."

In last month's Berlin Marathon, Savi, the defending champion, withdrew from the race early due to injury and is expected to return to the marathon in the spring of 2027. Talking about how to reduce the occurrence of injuries, Savi said that regular massage and rehabilitation therapy are necessary. "Of course, for professional runners, injuries cannot be completely avoided. But I believe that as long as you maintain self-discipline and love for this sport, you will definitely run better and better and move to a bigger stage."

Under the witness of Savi, Peking University officially announced that it has joined the Adidas University Sports Corporation (AUSC) and become the 15th member university. Savi said that his ability to break the world record was inseparable from the help of technological innovation. Adidas University Sports Commune can provide young athletes with more equipment, exercise and training plan guidance, bringing more possibilities for performance improvement. When young athletes step onto the field, they will also feel that they have a strong backing to support them, and they will have more faith, hope and courage.